Voice of Storybrooke
by White Belt Writer
Summary: Stroybrooke wakes up one day to find that not only does it have a radio station, but a new radio host calling herself the 'Voice of Storybrooke'. Jokes are cracked, stories told, and more than a few tears are shed as the town's newest character talks about whatever she deems worth talking about. Somewhat cracky. Rated T for language.
1. New Voice in Town

**A/N: I fully realize that I have not one but THREE stories that are not complete, two of which aren't even **_**halfway **_**done, and I apologize for that. I absolutely loathe authors that don't finish their works and it appalls me that I am one of them.**

**There are no words for my shame.**

**Even more so when I'm starting yet another story; this one doesn't even have a determined plot yet. **

**It's actually more along the lines of a glorified rant in the guise of being a story.**

**Nevertheless, it popped into my head out of the blue and **_**refuses**_** to **shut up**.**

**I get stories like that a **_**lot**_**.**

**WARNING: I've never really done a story like this before (you'll see what I mean) so prepare yourselves for a rough start.**

**Please R&R and keep your torches and pitchforks at home, in the shed.**

* * *

_[GOOOOOOD MORNING STORYBROOKE~!]_

A sudden and loud voice boomed throughout Emma's room, startling her wide-awake and causing her back to say hello to the floor with a pronounced 'thump'.

"What the hell?" the blonde grumbled as she untangled herself from her sheets to glare at her clock radio. She'd been in the middle of a good dream and out of nowhere this girl's voice piped up to tear her away from it.

[-Wakey~wakey, Brookies! It's a beautiful day out there just waiting for you, so get your butts outta bed and face it head-on!]

Wincing at how loud the voice was, Emma scrambled across the room to turn the damn thing down while vowing under her breath to get Henry for A) setting her alarm to tune to a radio station instead of beeping and B) turning the volume up _way too loud._

Rubbing her back, the Sherriff contemplated the voice. It was a girl's voice; early twenties if Emma wasn't mistaken, possibly even a teenager.

_Definitely_ enthusiastic sounding.

Standing there in her sleepwear, the blonde unwittingly, wondered the exact same thing everyone else in Storybrooke was thinking:

Who the hell was talking on the radio?

[Now, I'm sure you're all wondering 'Who this is chick and more importantly what the heck is she doing on the radio', right?]

'_Spot on,' _Emma thought wryly.

[Well I'll tell ya.]

[Sorta.]

[Let me explain.] She cleared her throat.

[As I'm sure you all remember, a while back Prince Charming made a speech about how 'since we were all stuck in Storybrooke we should try to make the best of it'.]

[Well, that's what I doing: making the best of it.] She sounded very proud of herself.

[And in my eyes, that means doing what I've always dreamed of doing: being a radio show host.]

'_You have got to be kidding me,'_ Emma thought as she stared at the radio as if she could see the DJ herself through the speakers.

[Did you know that Storybrooke had its own radio station?] the voice questioned, [Cuz I sure didn't till a few weeks ago.]

[Yep: found the place, asked the guys here if I could DJ and they said sure. No one else was doing it, so I guess they figured, hey, why not?]

[But I'm digressing; the point is that I'm going to be running a radio show until such a time, as I am unable to.]

[I.e. until someone comes and kicks me out of the recording booth.]

[Most likely our lovely Sherriff.]

[Or Mr. Gold.]

[Or Madame Mayor.]

[Although I guess she isn't the Mayor anymore, is she?]

[Or the Queen.]

[So what should we… And there I go, getting off topic, again. Sorry.]

'_I'm noticing a pattern here.'_

[What I'm trying to say here, is that in order to keep myself from getting killed, or horribly cursed in some way… More than I already am that is, I'm keeping my ID a secret.]

_'Oh joy.'_

[For now I'm just gonna settle with being called, I don't know, the _Voice of Storybrooke, _or something.]

[Cuz that's what I am.]

[And what is this crazy girl gonna do, you ask?]

[I'm gonna talk.]

[Or tell you about the weather and news.]

[Or play some music that's _actually_ decent.]

[Whatever fits my fancy at the time.]

[So~, stay tuned for some music; change the station; or turn off the radio altogether; whatever floats your boat. I'm happy enough with just the fact that you can hear my voice.]

[Actually having you pay attention to it is just a bonus.]

True to the girl's word, music began to pour from the radio's tiny speakers in Emma's bedroom. Turning the radio off, the blonde quietly moseyed downstairs; wondering what in the world had just happened.

* * *

Granny's was abuzz with gossip over who had been on the radio this morning. It wasn't even nine o' clock and already people were theorizing about who the girl was and giving their two cents on what they thought of her show.

"Morning Emma!" Ruby called as she walked over with the blonde's daily bear claw.

"Hey Rubes," the Sheriff replied, pulling cash out of her wallet.

"Any ideas on who the _'Voice of Storybrooke'_ is?" the wolf asked.

Smiling ruefully, Emma replied, "Was hoping you could tell me, O' Queen of the Gossipers."

"_Ha ha_-very funny. But no, seriously, I've haven't a clue. Which is kinda scary."

"How so?" Emma mumbled around her pastry.

"I know pretty much everyone here; like you said, 'Queen of Gossip', but I don't recognize this girl's voice," Ruby glanced around before leaning over the counter and whispering, "You don't think someone _new_ is in town, do you?"

"I doubt it, Red," Granny said, bullying her way into the conversation. "Didn't you hear what she said? She talked about Charming's speech like she was there, and I think we would've noticed if someone new had been in town for so many weeks."

"So she's a local," Emma concluded.

"Gotta be."

"What are you gonna do about it Emma?" Ruby wondered.

"For now? Nothing. As far as I can tell she hasn't done anything illegal, so really there's nothing I _can_ do. Besides, she seems harmless enough."

Granny suddenly made a dash to the diner's lone radio.

"_Speak of the devil_- she's back on everybody!" she raised her voice loud enough to be heard on the din of her patrons.

As everyone quieted down, sure enough, there was the Voice of Storybrooke coming in loud and clear through the speakers as Granny turned up the volume.

[-That was some of the greatest hits of the 90's. Good morning once again, Storybrooke! It's shaping up to be a pretty gorgeous day out today. I'm looking at the latest weather report right now and it seems likes we're gonna have a high of 75°and a low of 50 later this evening with some scattered clouds and a slight breeze.]

[In short: my idea of a pretty good day.]

[To those of you just tuning in for the first time today, I'm the SRB's newest radio host, the Voice of Storybrooke.]

[Atleast until I come up with a better name for myself.]

[Or someone comes to kick me off the air.]

[Whichever happens first.]

[Anyhoo; I'm basically gonna be spending the weekday playing some awesome music and talking about whatever piques my interest.]

[Speaking of which; while I was heading over here this morning, I came across a flyer for a missing person, drawn in crayon, and it gave me an idea.]

The Voice seemed to turn serious. [Since the curse broke, and can I just say a HUGE 'thank you' to Sheriff Swan for breaking it~]

The diner erupted into applause and Emma did her best to hide from the adoring crowd.

[-A lot of people, after remembering who we really are, have been having trouble locating their loved ones that they were separated from during the curse.]

[So, here's my idea; since the flyers don't seem to be working super-duper well, this town being a _whole_ lot bigger than it looks, I decided to collect as many different flyers as I can and read them out loud at the top of every hour.]

[If I do, someone is bound to find whom they're missing, or atleast help to point them in the right direction.]

A murmur of agreement and appreciation began to come from the diner's patrons, and Emma herself couldn't help but smile at the Voice's gesture.

[You guys can help as well. If you've lost someone, just call the station and I'll take down a description to read with the rest of the flyers.]

[Entire families have been separated because of the curse for over twenty-eight years, people!]

[And I'm gonna do everything in my power to get them back together again.]

The diner broke into applause again, and the Sheriff could've sworn she saw a few tears being shed.

[Alright Brookies, here we go~! The first flyer here is for a little boy…] the Voice began to read flyer after flyer; saying the person's name, their description, who was looking for them, where to find them, and any other information she could glean from each scrap of paper.

By the time she had read every flyer, over fifteen minutes had passed and Emma had long since lost count of how many names she had said.

Of how many people were lost.

The Voice cleared her throat after a few moments of silence, her voice having broke a few times. Especially the ones for little kids.

[That's all the flyers I have folks right now folks. I'll check in front of town hall again before my next session and see if there are any new ones.]

[If you're one of the people whose name I mentioned today, or if you know someone who was, I urge you to please help put these families back together.]

[And remember; if you're looking for someone, just give the station a call and I'll add his or her name to the list. The number is (604) 277-6828. Again, the number is…] she read the number again before wishing everyone a good day and playing songs from today's Top 40.

The diner, which had been silent the entire time the Voice had been reading names, aside from one or two who had gasped and run out of the diner after hearing a certain name, came back to life and began to talk about the Voice even more than before.

Saying her good-byes to Red and Granny, Emma began to make her way to the front of the diner. Along the way she heard snippets of various conversations concerning the town's newest change.

Some thought that it was a wonderful thing the girl was doing.

Others said that family affairs were private matters and she should mind her own business.

Others still thought it was a plot thought up by Gold or Regina to complete some nefarious scheme.

But out of all the conversations the blonde heard, the most amusing one by far was how some people took to be christened as _"Brookies"_.

* * *

**A/N: What do ya think? I know. Weird right?**

**Just randomly popped into my head while I sitting alone in my pole shed.**

**So.**

**Worth continuing?**

**Or am I just kidding myself?**

**I know this chapter wasn't very funny, but I couldn't work the funnier bits in right off the bat.**

**As for the whole "Brookies" thing.**

**I wanted something to call the people of Storybrooke and thought that something like "Storybrookians" was way to freaking long.**

**Plus: Brookies is funnier. ^w^**

**Also, FUN FACT: **

**The first 6 digits of the SRBS (Storybrooke Radio Broadcasting Station)'s number are the legit umbers for Steveston, BC, which is where all the town shots for OUAT is filmed.**

**As for the last four digits;**

**Let's just say there is a rhyme to my reason and I'll give you a high five if you can figure it out. ^^**


	2. Stand For Your Opinion

**A/N: In honor of Once_ finally_ coming back with new episodes in- *checks timer* 17 MINUTES! *squeal ^W^* **

**I worked my butt off to get this chappie up in running before it was time.**

**Hope you like it and please R&R!**

* * *

For the rest of the morning, aside from reading from the flyers at the top of every hour, the Voice remained mostly off the air. She just seemed to be playing random songs from the last three or four decades in no particular order.

It soon became noon, and Emma, in need of something to tide her over until dinner, walked into Granny's Diner in search of food.

She was thinking of getting a nice pastrami sandwich.

What she got, however, was almost a knuckle sandwich in her face.

Stepping back quickly, the blonde moved just in time to allow a man reeking of alcohol to fly through the doorway and crash ungracefully to the ground.

Emma blinked at his prone form before turning her attention to the commotion occurring inside of the cozy little dinner. Upon taking in the scene, she sighed, resigned to the fact that she probably wouldn't get her lunch anytime soon.

A veritable brawl was taking place right smack dab in the middle of the diner. Unoccupied tables and chairs had been knocked over in the midst of the tussle, and judging by how bent up one of the chairs was, Emma deduced it had been used to knock out the man who was lying beneath it.

While the few early birds who had come for lunch stayed pressed together in the booths or against the bar, two figures stood in the middle of the mess, clearly duking it out.

One was a man in his late twenties who, judging by his sways and stumbles, was either punch drunk or _literally_ drunk like his friends. The Sheriff, in the end, decided it was a bit of both.

His opponent was a teenaged girl whose entire look screamed "punk". From her short, spiky brown hair with neon blue and blonde highlights and multiple ear piercings, to her ripped jeans, maroon tank top, and leather bracelets, she was practically the poster child for rebellious teenage girls.

Emma thought she wouldn't look out of place at a club back in Boston.

And if the way she was handled these drunks was anything to go by, she'd handle the mean city streets with no problems at all.

The blonde watched, a little in awe, as the spike haired girl neatly dodged the drunks' pathetic attempts to hit her before smartly jabbing at his already bloodied face. Emma was so enthralled by the performance, that she didn't notice that the drunk behind her had gotten up before he tried to stumble back to his buddy's defense.

The man hadn't gone two steps in front of her, before Emma grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back. As he yowled in pain, the blonde spun the two of them around and propelled him right back out the door onto the concrete. To the man's credit, he realized it was probably a good idea to stay where he was.

Deciding enough was enough, the Sheriff pulled out her gun and yelled, "Freeze!" to the two fighters.

The girl paused in her assault long enough to glance at the blonde, allowing Emma to see that the words "BITE ME" were emblazoned on the front of her shirt in white paint.

Apparently sober enough to sense an opportunity, the drunk reared back and delivered a haymaker punch straight to her jaw. The girl's head whipped around and the force from the blow caused her to stumble back several feet, only a still standing table keeping her from falling flat on the ground.

"I said freeze!" Emma bellowed, aiming her weapon straight at the drunk's head but not taking off the safety. Yet.

The drunk, finally realizing that she was there, and more importantly was aiming a gun at his head, raised his hands in surrender and declared in a slurred and nasally voice, "I did'unt do it, off'rcer!"

"Right~ these tables and chairs just fell over by themselves and bashed your face in on the way down, right?" the Sheriff responded in a deadpanned voice.

"Yeb," he smiled as if glad she understood.

"Bullshit. Put your hands on your head and get down on your knees: both of you!"

Both combatants complied with her orders as Emma cursed the fact that she only had one set of handcuffs and had left her radio at the office. Putting her gun away, she pulled out her cell and called David who was out on patrol. He answered on the third ring.

"Hello. Emma?"

"Yeah, hi David," Emma replied as nonchalantly as she could. Even though she had hired her father on as her deputy, she still wasn't as comfortable around him as she was with Snow.

"Listen, I have a little situation at Granny's Diner: do you think you could swing by and give me a hand? And bring-" she did a quick count, "-Three extra handcuffs with you?"

"Sure, why? What's happened? Are you okay?" the concern in his voice was evident and Emma felt her heart rate speed up against her will.

"I'm fine. There was just what looks like a bar fight between three guys and a girl and I only have one set of cuffs. Not to mention I don't feel like wrestle all four into cells by myself," she admitted, more than a little annoyed at the fact.

"Got it. I'm on my way."

She thanked him and hung up. Getting back to this situation at hand, Emma debated which brawler she should use her cuffs on while she waited for her fath- David! While she waited for _David_, she firmly reminded herself.

The unconscious one was already out, literally, and she didn't think the one she'd thrown out the door would be any trouble since he'd yet to get back up, which left the girl and the third man.

The blonde regarded the two of them carefully. Now that they weren't moving around, she allowed herself a better look at them.

The man's face was puffy and was bleeding from both a cut on his forehead and his nose, which looked like it might be broken. As she stared at him, he turned his head hocked a bloody loogie onto the linoleum floor.

'_Ew,'_ Emma thought, _'That definitely doesn't win him any points.'_

Looking back at the girl, the blonde noted that besides the right side of her jaw where she'd just been punched, which was already beginning to bruise, and a shiner on her left eye, she seemed perfectly fine.

'_Sweaty and out of breath; but fine,'_ Emma observed; slightly impressed, since it appeared she had taken on three full grown men all by herself.

The girl in question, aside from throwing the stink eye at the remaining drunk every once in a while, seemed perfectly calm about the whole situation, as if she knew exactly what was going on and saw no reason to be difficult about it.

Her mind made up, Emma walked over to the drunk, wrenched his arms behind his back (pointedly ignoring his subsequent complaints) and slapped her cuffs on first one wrist then the other.

Looking at the girl as she hauled his ass up, she said, "I trust you won't be any trouble?"

"Nope; I'm good," the girl replied with a shake of her head and a small grin, obviously pleased that she wouldn't have to been restrained just yet.

Walking the drunk across the room, Emma deposited him a good ways from the girl before walking back and dragging his unconscious friend beside him.

The diner was a mess; chairs and tables flipped over, there was blood on the floor along with some broken glass and the remains of someone's meal.

'_Where the hell are Ruby and Granny?'_ Emma wondered as she picked her way through the mess. _'There's no way either of them would've let a fight go this far.'_

As if they'd heard her thinking about them, Ruby and Granny bustled into the diner and were struck dumb by the mess they encountered, both their jaws hanging wide open.

Speechlessness fading quickly, Granny snapped her mouth shut before fixing her eyes on the trio by the bar. She glared at the two drunks, the conscious one flinching under her stare, but her look softened a bit when she laid eyes on the girl.

"Really, Pen? We're not gone half an hour and you decide to throw a rodeo in the middle my restaurant?" she scolded, although to Emma she seemed to be having a hard time keeping a smile off her face.

The girl, Pen, simply shrugged as if to say, 'What can I say; these things happen.'

Regaining her wits, Ruby shook her head before addressing the Sheriff, "What happened here, Emma?"

Arms akimbo, Emma replied, "I'm not entirely sure myself. I came here for lunch and found those two fighting eachother, that one knocked out under a chair, and nearly got punched by the fourth guy outside."

Granny's brow knitted together. "What guy outside?"

"Shit," the blonde cursed before dashing out the find that her fourth perp was _not_ where she left him. She calmed down a bit, though, when she saw him across the street, being marched right to her under the guidance of her smiling Deputy.

Upon reaching her, David stated, "Saw him take off from here and decided to detain him," showing off the drunk who had the decency to look bashful about the whole thing.

"Good call; he's a part of Granny's impromptu fight show," Emma replied happily. "Did you bring the extra cuffs?"

"Right here," he said, holding up two sets, the third already fastened around the runner's wrists.

"Thanks." Taking the cuffs, the Sheriff, followed closely by David, made her way back inside, and placed a set onto the still unconscious brawler, before moving over to the girl who seemed willing to be cuffed, although definitely not happy about it.

As the cuffs clicked around her wrists, Granny stopping righting the furniture and asked, "Now Sheriff, why are you arresting Pen?"

"Because…. she broke the law?" Emma answered, suddenly feeling as though she was about to be scolded.

Granny waved her off as if she'd said 'the cat should be killed for catching a mouse'.

"Nonsense! I've known Pen for…. twenty-eight years actually, and in all that time she has never done anything without having a good reason for it first. Atleast what _she_ thinks is a good reason," she mumbled the last part under her breath.

"What happened this time, Pen?" Ruby chimed in.

"Since you asked," Pen smirked, "I was just sitting down for lunch, minding my own business, when these three_ bozos_," she sent a glare at each of the drunks in turn, "Barged into the diner and, right off the bat, begin harassing a poor woman on her choice of lover. I told them to shove off, but they wouldn't listen. Then crooked-nose here," she nodded at the man in question, "Pushed me, and, well," she chuckled, "You're smart enough to guess the rest, Sheriff."

Emma's ears perked up at the mention of someone being harassed, and wasted no time in asking, "What woman?"

"I'm afraid that might be me," a voice piped up from the back of the diner.

Looking over, the blonde realized that one of the patrons who had chosen to stay in their seats and out of the fight, was standing up. She was a beautiful woman, with long, wavy brown hair, fair skin, and eyes that seemed as blue as the sky.

"What she's saying is true, and I'm sorry about the mess, Granny," the woman said bashfully to the older widow before returning her gaze to Emma, "But please don't arrest her Sheriff! It's not her fault; it's mine-"

"Oh hush! It is not your fault in any way, shape, or form!" Pen interrupted, looking a bit annoyed at the prospect of the woman blaming herself.

"Loving someone is not a crime and don't you dare let these wankers, or anyone else for that matter, tell you any diff'rent!"

"But she's going out with that bastard Mr. Gol-_doof_!" the man David had brought back to the diner tried to speak, but was halted when the punk-girl stepped over and drove her foot into his stomach before Emma could stop her.

As the Sheriff pulled her back, Pen growled, "One more word out of you, _arsehole_, and I'll kick your family jewels _clean off_! Now, I'm not a fan of Gold either; I dislike him just as much as you do; but that is no excuse to go after Miss Belle! Who she decides to love is nobody's _bloody_ business but her own!"

The enraged girl got as close to their faces' as she could while Emma was restraining her, but even with a good ten feet between them, she looked menacing nonetheless.

"You got a problem with their relationship? Take it up with the man himself! If not, then shut your gobs and leave the poor lady alone. Or so help me, I will hunt you down and whack you each upside the head with an axe and I am _not_ talking about the bloody guitar. Am I clear!" she barked.

The two men, who were still conscious, and wishing they weren't, kept their mouths shut and nodded vigorously.

Pen straightened up and seemed to relax instantly. "Good."

Emma looked between the two groups and said, "Well, that escalated quickly." Turning to Granny she continued, "I'm sorry Granny, but I can't just ignore this and pretend it never happened-"

"Oh yes you can," Granny interrupted, "Because I'm not pressing charges."

The blonde blinked at her owlishly.

"You're not?"

"Nope. Too much hassle. I'd love it if you could through the boys in a holding cell for a while, but that means you'd have to do the same for Pen, and I won't have that," the old woman stated with her arms akimbo. "I also happen to agree with Pen; I don't like Rumplestiltskin, but Belle is a sweet girl and I won't stand for these boys messing with her."

"Good on ya, Granny!" Pen crowed.

"However; I won't stand for my diner being trashed either!" Granny said, fixing a glare on each fighter in turn. "Now, you boys have been punished enough for bothering Belle by having Pen beat the stuffing out of you, but now you're going to make up for messing up my place of business by cleaning it up!"

Taking one look at the men's faces and hearing the groans from the third one who was finally waking up, she amended, "_After_ you three get checked out at the hospital and get sobered up first. Until then, get out of my diner!"

Having no choice, since Granny hadn't press charges, Emma and David reluctantly relieved all four brawlers of their handcuffs while David called for an ambulance to see to their injuries. The duo was about to march them all outside to wait when Granny called, "Not so fast, Pen."

The girl flinched before stopping and grinning at the old woman sheepishly. "Yeah Granny?"

"Don't you _'Yeah Granny'_ me, young lady," Granny scolded although she couldn't keep a grin off her face, "There's a pile of dirty dishes in the back with your name on 'em. You know the rules: you get in a fight, you clean till night."

Pen immediately turned around and walked to the kitchen, still grinning. "I know Granny, I know. I was just testing ya; making sure you hadn't gone senile on me yet. Are my gloves still where I left them?"

Emma couldn't help but shake her head at the banter between the two of them, before she continued to escort her little party out to meet the oncoming ambulance.

* * *

A few hours later, after supervising the drunkards cleaning efforts, convincing her fath- David! Convincing David to continue his patrols, and _finally_ getting herself a sandwich, Emma found herself going over some last minute paperwork when she heard the Voice finish reading from the flyers but not go off the air.

[-I'm happy to report, Brookies, that two people called into the station today to tell me that they found their loved ones after hearing me on the radio. That's two people's names I can cross off my 'Missing Persons' list.]

[I just want to remind you all that if you do happen to find someone you were looking for, to please call that station so I can stop reading his or her name.]

[It makes my job a little easier, it's a very long list; _plus_, it makes me happy to know that families are getting back together.]

[Moving on; I heard some very interesting news today and wanted to discuss it with you all.]

She laughed. [And by discuss, I mean I'm gonna talk about it and unless you call in with your two cents, you're just gonna listen.]

[Anyhoo; it seems there was a bit of a bar fight at Granny's today between three drunks and Pen.]

[I know: you're shocked. Pen. In a fight? Perish the thought!]

[Moving on, it's not so much the fight I want to comment on, although I commend Pen for kicking the guys' butts, but the cause of the fight that I want to discuss.]

[Apparently the Three Stooges got it into their heads to give a poor lady their opinion on who it is that she has decided to date.]

[Pen intervened, and the fight ensued.]

[While I think that duking it out with the idiots in the middle of a family friendly restaurant might not have been the _best_ idea, I agree with Pen's stance that no one should be harassed because of who it is that they loved.]

[Who is this lady that was so harshly judged you ask?]

[Well, since you're all going to gossip about it anyway, I might as well tell you.]

[It was Miss Belle.]

[Yes; the one who just reopened the library.]

[_Yes_; the one whose father runs the Game of Thorns flower shop.]

[And _yes_; the one who is in a relationship with Mr. Gold.]

[AKA: Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One, the Beast, Evil-Incarnate and whatever other names you associate with him.]

[Can I just say how _really _glad I am you don't know my identity?]

[Really helps to lessen the danger my job apparently invokes.]

[Anyway-]

[Wipe that disgusted look off your face and hear me out.]

[I'm not saying I particularly _like_ Mr. Gold; I'd be lying through my teeth; I'm just saying that of all the crimes he has committed, he shouldn't be hanged just because he loves someone.]

[More importantly; she loves him back!]

[Is that _wrong_?]

[Is that _vile_?]

[Of course not!]

[Love is love is _love_, people. And that is the end of that!]

[We've all been denied our own happy endings for the past twenty-eight years.]

[We all know what it feels like to be refused our hearts desires, and some of us have even been shunned because of it!]

[Take Snow White and Prince James for example.]

[During the curse, James was "married" but was still in love with Snow, back then as David and Mary Margaret.]

[When they finally gave into their love and got together, the whole town wound up spurning both of them, especially Mary Margaret, just for following their hearts.]

[Don't try and deny it; we _all _gave them looks. Even me.]

[Although in defense, my evil eyes were mostly at David for not leaving his wife in the first place, but I digress.]

[The point is that no one, I repeat; _no one_, has the right to deny someone's right to love another, so long as it's reciprocated.]

[And it most certainly is, people!]

[Catch the two of them, Miss Belle and Mr. Gold, together at any time and you can see for yourself!]

[They love eachother.]

[So leave them in peace, for gods-sake!]

[Voice of Storybrooke, out.]

Emma sat at her desk and just stared at the radio in contemplation.

She hated to admit, but the kid had a point.

Sure, Mr. Gold was hardly the nicest guy in town. Or the world. Or _a__ny_ world for that matter.

But did that really justify shunning his relationship with a woman, who, as Emma learned from David after the bar fight, obviously loved him back; although they seemed to be going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment.

Sheriff Swan didn't think so, and silently applauded the Voice for trying to get all of Storybrooke to see just that.

* * *

**A/N: And Belle makes a surprise appearance! Yay! ^^**

**I bet a few of you are wondering if Pen is the Voice of Storybrooke.**

**Sorry, but I'm not telling, and believe me when I say to not count your chickens before they hatch.**

**Things are going to get more tricky before they become clear.**

**Also: what is your opinion on how I write the Voice talking on the radio?**

**Are you ok with just reading her words or should I put in more reactions, like, "She scoffed", "She growled", "She sounded nervous" and stuff like that.**

**Feedback would be greatly appreciated.**


	3. Silence Isn't Always Golden

**A/N: I really struggled to write this one, because of the way I was forced to portray Emma (you'll see what I mean).**

**Nevertheless, I felt it was a necessary evil in order to bring a new character into play.**

**The consequence is that I fear this chapter isn't nearly as funny as I'd like it to be, but I'm asking you to please bear with me.**

**Next one will be funnier; I promise.**

**Please R&R.**

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The next day was Saturday and Emma was in a bad mood, and partly blamed the town's new DJ for it.

Apparently, the _Voice of Storybrooke_ only worked weekdays, and on the weekends, the station she appeared on had no other line-up. This wouldn't matter so much to the blonde, except _Henry_ had done something to his mother's radio clock, and now she couldn't switch her alarm back to being beeps instead of the radio and was forced to wake up to ear-grating static and white noise.

As if that weren't bad enough; she'd burned her toast; set off the smoke alarm; broken the toaster _(again)_; had trouble finding her shoes; had burned her tongue on coffee in her haste not to be late for work; and to top it all off, had a huge pile of paperwork to fill out at said work.

In short: she wasn't happy.

So when the 911-Dispatcher called the station saying that the silent alarm at the library had gone off and that no one there was answering, Emma only debated calling David, who was out patrolling, to go handle it for half a second before telling the dispatcher she would be over there soon and hanging up.

'_Anything to get out of this office,'_ the Sheriff thought to herself as she grabbed her gun, radio, and an extra set of hand-cuffs (didn't want to chance it after yesterday) and made her way onto the streets.

The newly opened library was only a few blocks away, so Emma didn't bother to get her bug and instead simply walked over there briskly.

Upon her arrival, the Sheriff tried to get a feel for the situation by peeking in through the doors, but couldn't see anyone. She pulled on the doors and found them to be open. Walking in, Emma glanced around, looking for Belle.

Not seeing her, or anyone else for that matter, the blonde decided to throw caution to the wind, and gave the bell on the reception desk a solid _'thwack'_ before calling out, "Hey, Belle! You in here?"

She didn't receive an answer, but Emma _did_ hear a very loud series of _'bumps' _coming from the back of the library.

Suddenly on high alert, the Sheriff drew her service weapon before slowly making her way down the numerous book aisles, silently wondering who the hell could be stupid enough to break into a public library. What were they here to steal? What _was_ there to steal?

The donation jar with like, seven dollars in change in it?

Stalking silently along an aisle, Emma called out, "Who there?"

She once again was answered by a _'bump'; _this time followed by what sounded like coughing.

Coughing that was coming from just around the corner.

Making sure her safety was on, she didn't want an accidental discharge, Emma took a deep breath before stepping swiftly out from behind her cover, growling, "Freeze!"

The Sheriff found herself face-to-face with a teenaged girl. The girl was dressed in brown cargo pants, with a forming-fitting white, long sleeve shirt under a dark blue t-shirt, and black sneakers. Her skin was lightly tanned and she had light brown, wavy hair that seemed to stick out in all directions from beneath the gray newsy cap that sat atop her head.

Her face looked a little scared at the moment as she stared down the barrel of Emma's gun with wide, hazel eyes, and both of her hands were in the air.

Seeing that the girl didn't seem like she would be attacking her, the blonde lowered her weapon to point at the ground, and asked, "Who are you?"

The teenager made to move her arm, but Emma brought her gun level with her chest, growling out, "Don't move. And tell me who you are."

The girl did nothing more than to shrug her shoulders helplessly, and the blonde felt her bad mood creep up on her again.

She was about to ask again, when she heard the front door open and a voice call out, "Hello? Is anyone in here?"

Emma turned her head towards the voice; it sounded like Belle-

And the girl used the opportunity to make a break for it down the nearest aisle.

"Hey!" Emma yelled as she chased after her. She turned down the aisle just in time to see the girl exit the other end and disappear from her line of sight.

The Sheriff dashed down between the rows of bows, shooting out of the aisle like a bat out of hell-

And nearly crashed into Belle just around the corner, who was flanked by Mr. Gold.

Emma just barely managed to skid to a stop before the strange couple. Straightening up, she watches as Belle's expression goes from one of surprise at her entrance to confusion as to why she was running in the first place.

"Hello Sheriff," the beauty started politely, "What are you doing here?"

"Um…hi," the blonde so _cleverly_ retorted before getting her act together. "I'm here in response from a silent alarm here," she looks at Gold, "Which I'm guessing you had installed here?"

"That's correct, Miss Swan," the pawn-broker replied, "Until the final paperwork is finished, this is, technically, still my property and I'd hate for anyone to come in here and steal something right before Belle fully owns it."

'_Translation,'_ Emma quipped in her head, _'You were worried about Belle's safety.'_

"In fact," he continued unbidden, "I'm here now because I received a notice while at my shop that the alarm had gone off and decided to investigate. Belle was with me at the time and joined me.

'_Of course,' _Emma thought ruefully. Shaking off his response, the Sheriff continued, "When no one answered the phone, I stop by to see what was up and found a possible suspect."

Belle looked even more confused. "What suspect?" she responded as a head poked out from behind her left shoulder.

Emma started, before glaring and nodding her head forward.

"That one!"

The librarian looked behind herself before whipping her head back around and staring wide-eyed at the blonde, clearly shocked.

"You mean Misty?"

The Sheriff blinked owlishly at the beauty.

"You know her?"

"Of course I do," Belle retorted, her arms akimbo, "She works here!"

'_Say what?'_ Emma thought to herself, slightly embarrassed, before snapping out of it, and replying, "If she works here then why didn't just she say so? Better yet; why didn't she answer the phone when the dispatcher called?"

Belle looked awkward for all of two seconds, even glancing at the girl, Misty, for a moment, who nodded, before facing Emma again with steel in her eyes, saying, "She didn't say anything because she _cannot_ say anything; Misty is mute."

Emma felt like a complete and utter jerk at that response, her early embarrassment coming back full force; this time coupled with shame. Self-consciously scratching her head and groaning, she said to Misty, "Let me guess; earlier, when you were moving your arms, you were trying to sign something?"

The cap-wearing girl nodded shyly.

"And like a moron I told you to freeze while demanding you tell me who you are?" she continued.

Another nod.

Emma smiled ruefully.

"And with that, I officially become the worst and most insensitive Sheriff to ever grace Storybrooke," she replied, mentally kicking herself, before pleading with the girl, "Think you could forgive me?"

Misty stared at the Sheriff, before looking up as if debating whether or not she should forgive her. After a moment she stepped out from behind Belle with a small smile on her face and stuck out her hand to Emma.

The blonde took the offered limb and said, "Thanks. And I really am sorr-"

The girl cut her off by smiling wider and waving her free hand back and forth in front of her face as if to say, 'No harm, no foul.'

"This is all very touching," Mr. Gold said, breaking the moment, "But I'd still like to know what set off the alarm.

Misty flinched, and proceeded to scratch her head through her cap as she gave a bashful grin.

"Do you know, Misty?" Belle asked gently.

The girl blushed before nodding. With that, she moved around Emma and moved down an aisle, with the three adults following close behind.

Eventually she came to the back wall of the library, with a cart filled with books and a small stepladder standing next to a window.

Misty then began miming holding a bunch of books and walking up the ladder.

"So you were putting the books away," Emma interpreted.

The girl nodded, before stepping back down the ladder, pretending to miss a step, fall off, and stopped herself just before she slammed into the window.

The beauty nodded in understanding. "You slipped coming back down and bumped into the window, which I'm guessing is what set off the, um, 'silent alarm', was it?"

Misty tried to hide her blush under her hat as she nodded, scratching the back of her head.

"Hm, must have set the sensitivity too high," Mr. Gold mused, "I'll be sure to fix that tomorrow."

Emma filled in the rest of the blanks. "Since the alarm didn't make a sound, you just kept on working, and didn't answer the phone because-well…" Misty waved her along, mercifully saving Emma from her own floundering, "Then I barged in here and accused you of breaking into the place. Which, again, I apologize for."

The teenager waved off her apologies again with a smile; apparently not one to hold a grudge, and Emma decided that she ultimately liked the girl.

They all stood around awkwardly for a few moments before Emma broke the silence.

"Well; now that that's taken care of, I'm just gonna head on back to the station and let the dispatcher know it was a false alarm. Misty, Belle, Mr. Gold," she nodded to each in turn before taking her leave.

The entire walk back, the Sheriff was sure her face was some kind of red, though she kept her chin up. She had just accused a mute teenager of breaking into a damn public library and felt all kinds of embarrassment.

And it wasn't even ten o' clock yet.

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**A/N: Like I said; it's not a chapter I'm proud of, but necessary for the story.**

**I'll try to do better next time.**

**As always;**

**Please R&R**


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